


The Once and Future Flash

by Serenityreview



Series: The Flash Oneshots [11]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Barry needs all the hugs, Clone Fucker Week 2018, Dialogue Heavy, Frottage, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Self-cest, Sexual Content, season three, westallen mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 03:17:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15524874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serenityreview/pseuds/Serenityreview
Summary: My fill for the first day of Clone Fucker Week 2018.Barry's encounter with the 2024 version of himself goes a bit differently.





	The Once and Future Flash

Barry found his future-self in the Time Vault hiding between shelves covered in plastic wrap, staring at a picture of himself and Iris projected from Gideon’s interface.

“You promised!” Barry said, angry at himself. “You promised her that you would be there for Joe!”

His future-self didn’t answer immediately, instead he stopped the projection and turned back to face Barry, his was voice hoarse from disuse, “You don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand what!?” Barry’s voice was rising. “That you abandoned them!? That you abandoned him and everybody else?! You made a promise!”

“THAT I COULDN’T KEEP!” His future-self walked toward him, “Not after everything I lost! I was as broken as Joe was!”

“I don’t care,” Barry muttered.

“YOU WILL!” The other Barry shoved him back. “You will. You wanna know the truth, Barry? You will go back. You will do everything you can to save her. You’ll even create time remnants of yourself but he’ll kill them all, mostly. And then on the night of May 23rd Iris West will die in your arms. And in that moment where she takes her last breath it will feel like an eternity and _it will break you_.”

Barry didn’t know what to say. He could only watch as his future-self retreat to the corner of the room.

“She’s the love of your life, Barry,” Future Barry said as he slid down the wall and curled into himself. “She was the love of my life.”

There was a long beat of silence before his future-self continued, “There will be nothing left besides stopping Savitar. So, no, you won’t be there for Joe. You won’t be there when Caitlin turns into Killer Frost, when Savitar _destroys_ Wally. You won’t be there for any of them, but then one day you’ll stop him, you’ll lock him in the Speed Force and he’ll have won because everything you’ve ever loved is gone, including you. Go home, Barry, there’s nothing for you here.”

There was nothing Barry could say to that. There was nothing he could say to easy the other’s pain. Barry should leave, but he didn’t want to. He still didn’t get what he came here for. He moved over to the podium, hoping that Gideon is still around to give him the answers he needed. A picture of Iris popped up instead, then Barry realized that it was a video.

“Hi Barry, um, there’s something that I need to say to you. I love you. And if something happens I need you to hear this - I, Iris Ann West, take you, Bartholomew Henry Allen, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us apart.”

Tears streamed down Barry’s face, all of a sudden he understood why his future-self was so sad. He walked over to the corner where the other was and wrapped his arms around the other’s shaking form. He couldn’t think of anything to say but, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair of her to say that.”

His future-self made a high-pitched keening sound when he said that and sobbed harder, “I - I couldn’t save her.”

“Yes, we can,” Barry said, almost desperate. “Just tell me who’s under the suit.”

“I don’t know!” The other Barry screamed and then repeated softly. “I don’t know.”

Barry felt frustrated, “How did you trap him then? How did you trap him without knowing who he is?”

“I had help,” his future-self said. “The technology was invented 4 years ago. So just go back home and spend more time with her, don’t waste it by being here.”

“I can’t,” Barry said. “I promised to protect her.”

“You can’t.”

“I have to,” Barry said as he began to pull away from the other man, but strong hands grasped his shoulders and pulled him back.

“Don’t go,” his future-self whispered. “Please don’t go.”

“But you just told me to -” Barry couldn’t finished the sentence due to a pair of slightly chapped lips pressed against his own. The kiss was chaste and short but once Barry’s brain caught up to him, he wanted more.

“Why did you…” Barry trialed off, feeling silly for even asking the question. This was his future-self he was talking to.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Barry managed a smile. “It’s what we want after all.”

His future-self returned the smile and leaned in for another kiss. It was slow and sweet, just the way he liked it. Fingers tangled together as they gently explored each other’s mouths, finding comfort in the familiarity of each other’s shape. Part of Barry felt guilty that he wasn’t focused on finding a way to save Iris, for being selfish but he couldn’t just abandon himself to misery. 

Eventually the kiss broke and Barry felt warm breath on the crook of his neck, his hands found the bottom of the other’s shirt and pulled the fabric up so his fingers touched skin. Barry’s breath hitched as teeth bared down on his shoulder but his hands didn’t stop exploring the other’s skin. He wished he had more time. Time is the enemy here. There’s no time to do what Barry wanted to do, so he had to settle for less. Barry was caught off guard when deft hands unbuttoned his jeans, his future-self already knew what he was thinking. He briefly wondered what it was like to have two sets of different memories of the same event, until inquisitive fingers brought him back to the present. 

They mirrored each other’s movements, pushing their clothes out of the way before pressing themselves together. The slide against each other wasn’t exactly smooth but Barry thought it was erotic anyway. He wrapped his arms around the other again, this time to keep his balance as he ground against his future-self. In time their skin became slick with sweat and their cocks were covered in drops of pre-come. Barry was beginning to lose control. He started to vibrate against the other man, who muffled a high-pitched moan and matched his vibrations.

“I’m gonna -” Barry said breathlessly.

“Me too.”

“Ah!” Barry cried as his climax took him by surprise, spilling his seed against the other’s stomach, moments later he felt more hot seed splatter against him and knew the other had come too.

“That was…” Barry was at a loss for words.

“I know,” his future-self whispered softly as he pressed their foreheads together. “Thank you.”

Barry still didn’t know what to say so he just kissed him again, “I’ll stay for a while longer, okay?”

“Okay.”

The End.


End file.
